How we wrote Little Mix’s ‘Power’ by JHart

How we wrote ‘Power’ was first published in Songwriting Magazine Autumn 2025

Inside the LA writing retreat where the girl group’s bold, empowering anthem celebrating female strength, confidence, and independence was created

James “JHart” Abrahart is one of those names you might not have heard of, but you’ve almost certainly heard. The London-born, Atlanta-raised artist and songwriter has built a career writing hits for the biggest names in pop – from Justin Bieber’s Company to Jade Thirlwall’s solo It Girl. Add in credits with Cher, Keith Urban, Usher, Troye Sivan, and more, and you’ve got a catalogue that’s quietly defined the last decade of radio and streaming alike. And if you don’t know him yet, you might soon enough – JHart is one of the stars of Netflix’s new docuseries Hitmakers, pulling back the curtain on the songwriting game.

But few of his tracks pack the same punch as the 2016 co-write Power, the Little Mix single taken from the juggernaut girl group’s fourth studio album, Glory Days. A three-times platinum colossus that soundtracked WWE’s first Women’s Royal Rumble, and later blew up again on TikTok, the song earned both Pop Song of the Year at the Beano Awards and Best Song at the Global Awards. Now it’s over to JHart to tell us how this feminist anthem with teeth was born at an LA writing retreat…

First published in Songwriting Magazine Autumn 2025

Released: 26 May 2017
Artist: Little Mix
Label: Syco
Songwriters: Dan Omelio, Camille Purcell, James Abrahart, Michael Omari (add.)
Producers: Electric, Joe Kearns, Matt Rad, Steve James
UK Chart Position: 6
US Chart Position: –

“There were two or three writing rooms, and I was in that day with Camille Purcell and the A&Rs Anya Jones and Guy Langley, who was with Syco. Henrik Barman Michelsen and Edvard Førre Erfjord, aka the production duo Electric, were there with Camille and I. Steve James, Robopop [Dan Omelio], and Matt Rad came in later to finish production.

“We were in this room, and the energy was really high. I remember we were all just excited to be there. It was a gorgeous day in LA, and in this same room I had written with Dua Lipa as well. I don’t remember if it was before or after, but this house was glorious and used for a lot of writing camps. The studio backed onto the pool, so you could open the door and walk straight out. That day they did a great job catering and having drinks for us, so we were just very creative.

“I remember we wanted to make something that felt empowering and something that felt anthemic. Camille and I wanted it to feel fun and free.  A lot of those verse lyrics we’re just kind of in the moment – being heard just singing to each other in the room. It was more of the energy that we wanted to kind of create, that we fostered in the room with each other. And then she went on the mic and I went on the mic.

“It’s anthemic, an absolute anthem, with that girl group kind of power. Growing up, I loved the Spice Girls, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Charmed – strong female leads. Any song that captures that “female not taking any shit” energy, I love. Power does that so well. It feels triumphant and strong. I’d definitely put it on in the Uber or getting ready for a night out.

“That day, Camille and I were on one – I don’t even know what we were on that day – but the ‘motorbike’ part happened like someone had given us too much sugar. We were like kids, just singing, ‘motorbike, motorbike,’ and she got in the booth and recorded it. Camille recorded the demo, but we pitched it up to get it in the right key. We called the demo The Sassy Mouse Demo for a while, because she sounded like a sassy mouse pitched up. Electric were definitely using piano, maybe guitar, I’m not sure. It went from there, and we were actually the first demo of Power. It was the best day – we had the best time. I love writing with her and miss writing with her.

“Afterwards, there were edits and follow-up sessions. I would say that the core of the song came about that day, and then production went through a bunch of edits, which is typically the case for certain pop songs, especially production-heavy pop songs. I’ve been on songs with 63 production versions – I remember that number specifically – but not this one. There definitely were edits made to the topline and edits made to the production, I think for maybe a few weeks or months after the initial day of creating the song.

“But, those kinds of days make it really all worth it, because it’s great when you can really enjoy writing a song and just get a really fun song out of the day – or get a really heartfelt song out of the day – but just enjoy the day. And we did that day. I remember we were laughing and it felt like kids in a playground, just doing what they do. It felt so natural.

JHart: “Growing up, I loved the Spice Girls, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Charmed”

“There were talks of it being a single, but you never know. By then, I had been doing it long enough by that point to not get my hopes up until it’s out and actually happening. When I heard they were shooting the video, it was like, ‘Oh, amazing.’ Jade, who I have been friends for quite some time, was telling me that there were going to be drag queens in the video and that just got me so excited. Obviously, when I saw the video, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m absolutely obsessed with this.’

“The coolest part about writing songs, not just for Little Mix but UK artists in general, is that obviously I grew up there. There have been a couple times in my career when I’ve gotten to go back to the UK for the summer; a working trip, or to see family and go out, and then one of the songs plays when I’m in the club or something and everybody’s just like screaming it. That has happened with Power and with Sax [Fleur East] and a couple other of my songs that I’ve had in the UK, most recently with Jade’s It Girl while I was in London for Pride, there was a party in the street and I was walking home through the crowd while everyone was dancing to it.

“It’s just the most gratifying feeling ever to be in a place that I consider my home, because I really do consider England to be where I’m from. London has my heart. So, when I’m out and I hear one of my songs playing and people are singing and enjoying it – it just hits differently.”

JHart’s single Can’t Relate is out now and season 1 of Hitmakers is available to stream on Netflix. Follow him on Instagram – @jhartmusic

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